BY: CHARLOTTE LEFAVE
The days get shorter, we all get paler, you can’t seem to stay in bed long enough to soothe the bags under your eyes, and on top of that everyone around you has come down with some kind of contagious sickness. You go to work in the dark and you come home as the sun’s setting. Let’s face it, the change from fall into winter sucks. But what exactly happens that makes us all so miserable every year?
The answer: we all get SAD.
Seasonal Affective Disorder that is. As we’re exposed to less sunlight daily and the temperatures drop, we all start to feel a little bit bluer. Studies show that the shorter and colder the days get, the more your mood deteriorates. On a neurobiological side this is because the levels of the important chemicals in our brain, such as serotonin and norepinephrine, are affected strongly by the amount of sunlight that we intake.
The body is regulated by circadian rhythms, often called ‘body clocks,’ that are cued by the amount of sunlight and what temperature you’re exposed to. These body clocks tell you when to get up, go to sleep and when to perform other bodily functions. According to Psychology Today, your circadian rhythms are controlled by your suprachiasmatic nucleus (try saying that ten times fast), and your pineal gland, which is the tiny gland in your brain that produces melatonin. Melatonin fluctuation plays a key role in how we register light, as well as how our moods are affected by the light that we are exposed to.
Neurotransmitters, as we all know, are responsible for how our brain makes us feel. For example serotonin affects your mood, social behaviour, appetite and digestion, sleep, memory, and sexual desire, and norepinephrine is nicknamed the ‘fight or flight’ hormone because it controls our stress levels. On shorter days, when we’re exposed to less sunlight, the serotonin and norepinephrine are less active in your brain, causing your moods to take a turn for the worse.
And not only is your mood lowered, but studies show that your body automatically stores more fat in the winter. Yet, you won’t want to exercise during the cold months because of two reasons: your house is warm and Netflix exists. It’s science.
However, don’t be discouraged! There are ways to combat the season-change snooze.
Get outta’ here! If you have the available time and resources, take a trip out of the cold and go somewhere with long, sunny-warm days to reset your hormone levels and kick-start your brain. Plus, when you get back, your brain will take a couple of days to re-adjust to the cold, so you can enjoy the post-vacation bliss for longer.
Drugs! Legal ones, calm down. Talk to your doctor about getting some available meds to replenish your neurotransmitters. Also, supplements such as Vitamin C will boost your immune system to help avoid the common cold that’s been attacking everyone and their mothers.
Make your day a little brighter with light therapy. This option is slightly expensive -the lighting systems cost anywhere between $50-800. Staring straight into the light will damage your eyes, so it is recommended to have your eyes open around 12-18 inches from the source for the best results. This way you can manage your daylight intake and trick your brain into thinking your days are longer.
Get off the couch. No seriously, exercise is shown to produce feel-good chemicals like endorphins, endocannabinoids, and serotonin. Not to mention that eating better foods will give you the energy boost you need to get through the cold and be productive with your day. So put down the deep-fried food and try getting some nutrient-rich foods in your system. Bonus points for colourful fruits and vegetables. They’re full of vitamin E and C, which have antioxidants and will help prevent illness.
You can do it! Making it through the fall and winter can be difficult, but now that you know exactly what is causing your four month transition into Grumpy Cat, you can conquer it. Stay positive and keep moving.
